Turkey Call Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A box call with improved sound quality is provided. The box call is comprised of a pair of longitudinally extending walls, a front wall, a back wall and a base defining a sounding chamber. At least one wall of said pair of longitudinally extending walls is a striking wall that is comprised of a plurality of wooden plies with each ply having a grain that runs substantially perpendicular to adjacent plies. The box call also has a paddle or lid that is rotatably affixed to the back wall so that a user can slidingly contact a lower surface of the paddle with an upper edge of the striking wall, wherein the upper edge is convex widthwise and arcuate lengthwise.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/771,220, filed on Feb. 7, 2006, which is hereby incorporated into this disclosure in its entirety.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to devices used to call animals in the wild, namely turkeys. Turkey calls have been known in the art previously and generally come in several different configurations: mouth calls, pot calls and box calls. The turkey call apparatus set forth in the instant invention contains improvements to the box variety of turkey calls.

Box calls are typically composed of wood and generally comprise a rectangular box and a lid. The lid to the box, which is also called a paddle, is rotatably connected to one end of the box via a fastener and spring such that the paddle can be rotated about an axis drawn through the fastener and slidingly moved against an upper edge of one of the sides of the box in order to create the sound of a turkey call. In the art, it is seen that the upper edges of the sides of the box, and especially the striking surface on one of the edges, are bowed longitudinally to produce an arcuate surface across which the lid or paddle is drawn across in the presence of chalk or a similar substance, in order to create a sound similar to the one that turkeys make.

The paddle itself is also laterally bowed to present a laterally concave arcuate shape. In this configuration, the lateral center of the paddle comes into contact with an area at or near the longitudinal center of the upper arcuate edge of the box. The majority of the surfaces of the paddle are laminated for protection from the elements and durability; however, a small portion of the lower surface of the paddle is left untreated so that chalk will stick to the wood when it is applied and the appropriate sound can be created by rubbing or scraping the paddle against the upper edge of the box call.

The sound produced by the box type of turkey call must be extremely close to a real turkey call in order to get birds in the wild to approach the photographer, hunter or enthusiast. Unfortunately, previous box calls suffer from a lack of richness, variance and tonal quality of the sounds produced. It is desirable, therefore, to improve the quality and range of sound achieved by a box call.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of the longitudinally extending walls of the box comprises three plies of wood that are connected in parallel fashion or “sandwiched” such that they become a single unitary striking wall. The two outer pieces of wood that make up the striking wall are positioned such that the grain of the wood is parallel to a longitudinal axis running through the rectangular call. The two outer pieces sandwich an inner piece that is positioned such that its grain runs vertically or perpendicular to the grain of the two outer pieces. When they are glued together or otherwise attached face to face, the upper edge of all three pieces becomes a unitary piece and results in the striking surface to be rubbed or scraped by the paddle. The inner vertical grain core piece of wood, in conjunction with the two outer pieces that creates additional resistance to the lateral movement of the paddle across the edge and results in a heretofore unseen true-to-life turkey sound. Also in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the instant invention, the paddle is comprised of a single piece of wood that is warped about a longitudinal axis such that its resultant shape is arcuate laterally. It has been found that this shape ensures that the proper weight distribution is applied to the striking surface through the entire yelp when the call is employed. While it is known in the art to have a concave lower surface of the paddle, existing paddles are not made from a single piece of wood or do not have a matching concave upper surface and are thus weighted differently.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a box call of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the box call of FIG. 1 illustrating the movement of the paddle in relation to the sounding chamber.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the box call of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the box call of FIG. 1 with the paddle exploded therefrom illustrating a preferred embodiment of the fasteners and springs used.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the striking wall of the box call of FIG. 1 illustrating the preferred orientation of the grain of each wood piece in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the instant invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a device useful for assisting a hunter, photographer or other enthusiast in calling turkeys. Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a box call 10 of the instant invention is shown with the paddle 20 resting against a non-striking side wall 15 in a closed position. When operated, the paddle is rotated about a fastening means 30 by grasping the handle 40 of the paddle 20 distal to the fastening means 30. The fastening means 30 may preferably comprise a screw or any other mechanism that permits the paddle 20 to be freely rotated about the fastening means 30.

FIG. 2 shows the box call 10 in an open position. As seen therein, the upper surface 21 of the paddle 20 preferably is concave. A thick front wall 22 and back wall 24, a sturdy non-striking side wall 15, a striking wall 50 and an upper surface 26 of a unitary base piece 110 define a sounding chamber 28 when constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. In order to operate the box call 10, the paddle 20 is moved toward the striking wall 50 which terminates in an upper edge 60. The sound of a turkey is created when the paddle 20 is moved laterally against the upper edge 60 of the striking wall 50.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the call of the instant invention is shown from the back wall 24 of the box call 10 that houses the fastening means 30. It can be seen from this vantage point that the paddle 20 preferably has an upper surface 21 that is concave and a lower surface 120 that is convex. This shape can be created by warping or bending the paddle 20 about a longitudinal axis, or by any other method known to those skilled in the art, and results in a preferred weight distribution to be used in combination with the striking wall 50 of the instant invention in addition to creating the proper angle of engagement between the lower surface 120 of the paddle 20 and the upper edge 60 of the striking wall 50. It is further seen in FIG. 3 that the striking wall 50 comprises, in a preferred embodiment, an outer ply 80, a middle ply 90 and an inner ply 100 that have been laminated, glued, or fastened together in some other way known in the art. Although the illustrated embodiment shows a 3-ply striking wall 50, a striking wall comprising any number of plies greater than one generally will accomplish the intended result in accordance with the instant invention. The box call 10 also has a unitary base piece 110 defining a channel 115, which preferably receives the striking wall 50 therein for added overall strength and improved sound quality. In this preferred embodiment, chalk is applied to the lower surface 120 of the paddle 20 so that the sound of a turkey is created as the lower surface 120 of the paddle 20 is moved across the upper edge 60 of the striking wall 50.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the box call 10 of the instant invention. The paddle 20 is connected to the box call 10 at the back wall 24 via a fastening means, such as a screw, 30 threaded into an aperture 140. Optionally, a spring 150 may be inserted between the paddle 20 and the aperture 140 to enable smooth movement of the paddle 20 laterally across the upper edge 60 of the striking wall 50. As shown in FIG. 4, the three plies of wood 80, 90, and 100 are glued, laminated or otherwise fastened side by side to form the striking wall 50. The upper edge 60 of the striking wall 50 is longitudinally arcuate, in a convex manner, to facilitate the generation of calls of consistently good quality.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the striking wall 50 is preferably created by gluing, laminating or otherwise fastening the outer ply 80, the middle ply 90 and the inner ply 100 together in plywood fashion. Preferably, the inner ply 100 and the outer ply 80 have their wood grain oriented horizontally whereas the woodgrain for the middle ply 90 preferably runs vertically. It is seen that this arrangement of woodgrains creates a call that is more realistic that those that exist currently.

Throughout the specification, the term “comprising” is used inclusively, in the sense that there may be other features and/or steps included in the invention not expressly defined or comprehended in the features or the steps specifically defined or described. What such other features and/or steps may include will be apparent from the specification read as a whole.

Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiment of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown on the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the apparatus of the instant invention can easily be modified to be used with other box call designs as well. The scope of the invention should be determined by the claims and their legal equivalents. 

1. A box call comprising a pair of longitudinally extending side walls, a front wall, a back wall and a unitary base, together defining a sounding chamber; wherein at least one wall of said pair of longitudinally extending walls acts as a striking wall comprising a plurality of wooden plies that terminate at an upper edge; and a paddle having a lower surface for engaging said upper edge.
 2. The box call of claim 1, wherein each of the wooden plies has a grain that runs substantially perpendicular to the grain of each adjacent ply.
 3. The box call of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wooden plies has a grain that runs substantially perpendicular to the grain of at least one of the wooden plies adjacent to it.
 4. The box call of claim 1, wherein at least one of said wooden plies has a grain that runs substantially vertically.
 5. The box call of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wooden plies consists of a different type of wood than any ply that is adjacent to it.
 6. The box call of claim 1, wherein each of said wooden plies has a grain that runs substantially perpendicular to the grain of each adjacent ply.
 7. The box call of claim 1, wherein the striking wall consists of three plies of wood.
 8. The box call of claim 7, wherein the middle ply has a grain that runs vertically.
 9. The box call of claim 8, wherein the two outer plies of wood have a grain that runs substantially perpendicular to the center ply.
 10. The box call of claim 8, wherein the center ply comprises a center cut of wood.
 11. The box call of claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the paddle is convex.
 12. The box call of claim 1, wherein the paddle is arcuate.
 13. The box call of claim 1, wherein the paddle is arcuate laterally.
 14. The box call of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wooden plies are connected to each other by a connection means.
 15. The box call of claim 14, wherein the connection means comprises glue.
 16. The box call of claim 14, wherein the connection means comprises lamination.
 17. The box call of claim 1, wherein the paddle is rotatably fastened to the back wall,
 18. A box call comprising a pair of longitudinally extending walls, a front wall, a back wall and a unitary base, together defining a sounding chamber; wherein at least one wall of said pair of longitudinally extending walls comprises an inner ply, a middle ply and an outer ply, together defining a striking wall, wherein the inner ply and the outer ply have a grain that runs substantially horizontally, the middle ply having a grain that runs substantially vertically; an upper edge of the striking wall being convex and longitudinally arcuate; and a paddle rotatably fastened to the back wall in order to slidingly contact the upper edge of the striking wall, the paddle further comprising a concave upper surface and a convex lower surface. 